Labels? Fuck ‘em
When I was five I was obsessed with the colour
pink and Betty Spaghetti. Betty, along with all of
her bendy limbs, would come with me wherever
I went. So would my pink, sparkly, Barbie dress.
Once I had hit nine, I played golf and lived in
combats. Girls were annoying and whiney. Boys
insulted you but in that ‘you smell of wee’ kind of
way, not a back stabbing ‘you can’t sit with us’ way
(I’m looking at you Mean Girls, so not fetch).
Anyhow, throughout my childhood and teenage
years, I had conflicting styles, interests and
mannerisms. Some that I would now deem pretty
questionable. This led me to being bullied for who
I was, and I was just being myself...so why was this
a problem? There’s a lot of cunts in life, that’s what
the problem is.
But maybe, it’s not their fault. The mainstream
influences people into thinking other people are

‘weird’ if they’re not mundane or the same as
you, instead of embracing their individuality.
Which we should absolutely be doing.
Today, you’ll see me walking into uni in
Primark joggers, my boyfriend’s t-shirt and
my Adidas trainers. Yes, I look like I haven’t
slept for a week, but I’m comfy and I can see
everybody envying me. Then the next day I’ll
be sporting my pink swishy, skirt with a crop
top, once again, you can see everybody wishes
they could feel like fairy for a day. Sometimes
I video game (a hobby assumed for men), on
the other hand you could find me shopping
with my trendy af nan. Golf, paint, dance etc.
also followed me into adulthood, despite none
of them being particularly similar in nature.
But I won’t be forced into a box, and neither
should you. Be you (but don’t be a cunt, that’s
not nice).

Editor

Hopeab29@gmail.com
@Hb.art.ox

gameface magazine

@hopeyab

5

COntents

Contents
life

The whats,
wh
ys,
wheres,
whos and
hows

18

Reviews - Not sure what
to play next? We’re
here to help

9
gameface magazine

18

Video game calendar
- Know what to look
forward to

11
Reviews

What’s with sexism in
gaming? It’s time to
investigate

Life

18. Sexism within gaming
21. Mario’s Peach does
12. Rise of the Tomb
Raider - Lara with clothes her thang
22. Worst/funniest
14 - South Park’s
Need to know
messages from gaming
Fractured But whole - is
8. Video game calendar potty humour your shit?
24. We talk to two
10. Gaming events for the 16- The Legend of Zelda: people who know how
next year
you can break into the
Breath of the Wild gaming industry
adventure is out there
6

Birmingham
anime and
gaming con
What: An all age event for
anime and comic fans, gamers
and cosplayers
When: 5-6th May
Where: Novotel
Birmingham Centre,
Birmingham

Resonate
What: over
18s tournaments,
workshops, expo and
much more
When: 19-21 October
Where: Scottish Event
Campus, Glasgow
Play expo
Glasgow
What: Full of features,
exhibitors, and more
gaming
When: 9-10th June
Where: Braehead
Arena, Glasgow

International
Games Growth
&amp; Inverstment
Summit
What: The coming together of
the UK’s bets gamign and tech
companies
When: 27th June
Where: International
Business festival
Casual
Connect
europe 2018
What: Bringing together
the best Europe has to offer
When: 29th May
Where:The Queen
Elizabeth II centre,
London

IP and
Game content
seminar
What: The can and can’t
for game companies
When: 26th June 2018
Where: The Met
Building, London

Norwich
gaming
festival
What: A family friendly
celebration of video games
When: 28th may-3rd June
Where: The Forum,
Norwich

10

Women
in games
conference
What: Mixture of
speeches, workshops etc with
some of the biggest women
players from the industry
When: 11th September
Where: University of
London, London

Brains
Eden 2018
What: A team of
students have 48 hours to
create a game from scratch
When: 13th July
Where: Anglia Ruskin
Uni, Cambridge

Lara Croft - The Rise
of the Tomb Raider
South Park Fractured but Whole
The Legend of Zelda
- Breath of the Wild

s

gameface magazine

11

Lara Croft : The Rise
of the Tomb Raider
Reviews

I’ve been following Lara
since she was just a bunch
of feisty pixels trying to get
away from her doddery butler
(who somehow gets younger
throughout the series of video
games, I wonder what his secret
is?)

Graphics-5
Storyline-4
Characters-5
Combat-4
Ending-4

4.4/5
12

M

y grandad and I, spent many weekend
afternoons battling monkeys in rainforests,
locking the butler in the freezer and cheating
our way through country to country alongside
Lara Croft. As a 5-year-old, I was in awe of
how strong and nimble-footed Lara was, and jealous of Croft
Mansion, mainly because of the pool and massive freezer (imagine
all the nugs you can fit in there).
Somehow Tomb Raider has gotten more exciting over the years.
I believe a lot of it boils down to the fact that graphics have
surpassed our expectations, and there have been aspects added to
the game to enhance our experience e.g. side missions, skill and
weapon upgrades, certain controls. It’s also a nice addition that
Lara crouches down when there’s enemies near, so you’re not kept
on your toes for the entire game.
Narrative (SPOILERS)
With a good balance of story and play time, if you’ve never
played Tomb Raider before, there’s no need to worry. The plot has
substantial context within it, so that newbie players can pick it up
from the get go.
Lara Croft continues to follow in her father’s footsteps, Only,
throughout the game, I realise that Lara is trying to prove to

gameface magazine

Reviews
the world that her dad was right, the Divine Source is real. Lara
however, has to destroy the artefact to save herself. As well as this,
you learn that her dad didn’t actually commit suicide, dun dun
dunnnnnn!
In terms of the ending, it heavily insinuates that this isn’t the end
of Trinity and Lara’s convoluted relationship. In the final cut-scene,
Lara is talking to Ana, only for Ana to be shot. The shooter then
asks whether they should give Lara the same fate, however they
are instructed not to for the time being. TENSE RIGHT? With
little information on the new Tomb Raider game coming out in
September (Shadow of the Tomb Raider), could Trinity really take
Lara down once and for all (doubt they’ll succeed doe). Square
Enix has released a statement saying ‘The game will be Lara
Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider’. How…
enigmatic.

Rest at the campfire to upgrade Lara’s skills, weapons or fast travel

Upgrades and controls
Tomb Raider has taken on the same sort of game format as
Assassins Creed, which is definitely an improvement as it adds
depth and substance to the game, rather than there being just one
main mission to follow. With side missions and upgrades alike, you
can also click in the right analogue stick, and your objectives and
other interest points will light up.
In the beginning, you start off with limited weaponry (bow
and arrow) and melee weapons (climbing axe). Throughout the
gameplay, Lara will find different weapons that you can upgrade
once you have found the parts (ending up with bows, handguns,
rifles and shotguns). To find these parts, all you have to do is search
the chests and boxes you find throughout your missions. You can
swap out weapons of the same type in base camps that you find on
your way, these can also be used as save points.

Eyes peeled for Shadow of the
Tomb Raider, coming to PC,
Steam, PS4 and Xbox one.
Teaser trailer released, and
on the 27th of April there
was a reveal event. Keep
yourself posted!

To improve your skills, you have to gain XP to get skill points from
doing various actions e.g. hunting, killing opposition, reaching
your objective. To use up skill points, you will have to rest at a base
camp and open the skill menu. Brawler (combat and healing),
hunting (hunting and scavenging) and survivor (crafting and
exploration) are the three skill-sets that you can upgrade. Some
particulary aided me in the brawler skills section, because I’m shite
at combat. So thank you Square Enix for making my gameplay that
lil bit easier!
Visuals
Based in Siberia, the snowy mountains look like they could have
been set outside my window they’re that naturalistic (thank
god they’re not tho, I could do with some summer sun soon plz
England you icy prick). The wolves look like actual wolves, and
if you hear the music implying that there’s wolves around (you’ll
know it when you hear it) fucking run for your life. Tomb Raider
has come so far, and their graphics are no exception. I’m a lover of
realistic imagery, and the art team has it down to a T.

gameface magazine

Zipline your way through Serbia

13

Reviews

South Park :
The Fractured But Whole

South Parks: The Stick of Truth
gained an almighty 9/10 from
IGN, when it came out in 2014.
The Fractured But Whole was
south of this score by a measly
0.5, but many are divided when
it comes to which is on top.

Graphics-4.5
Storyline-4
Characters-5
Combat-4
Ending-4

4.3/5
14

I

am a South Park virgin. Apart from the odd time my
boyfriend has put it on, or I’ve caught the tail end of an
episode. I have never devoted my time to a single episode.
Why I hear you ask? I’m lazy af. However, once I started
TFBW, the silly and controversial sense of humours that
South Park uphold, spoke to me instantly.

Yes, I’m that girl. I was brought up to find farts hilarious, and ever
since me and my friends watched Misfits when we were 16, cunt is
just an everyday word.
TFBW is everything you could have dreamt your perfect childhood
to be, with 18+ overtones. In this role-playing-game, you can
be the super-hero you’ve always wanted to be, red Lego bricks
represent lava and throw your farts (minus the pedo-priests,
drunkards and constant fear of being attacked by everyone around
you, it’s a bunch of lols!)
Narrative
Sticking to the same style as South Park the program, you play in
a third-person perspective in 2.5D. It’s your job as the new kid to
assist the Coon (the alter-ego of familiar face, Eric Cartman) and
the rest of the superhero squad, in battling against crime-ridden
South Park. You start off in the comfort of your own home, your
mum and dad have a troubling relationship, and therefore are

gameface magazine

Reviews
arguing once again. Once your dad goes up to their room to eat
some pot brownies, your mum is crying in the kitchen and you’re
free to roam as you please.
There is a lot of interactivity within TFBW, anything that has a
yellow handle can be opened meaning there’s a lot to explore. With
side missions alongside the main quest, you also don’t have to stay
focused on just one thing (great for a procrastinator like myself,
who has gotten distracted approximately 100+ times whilst writing
this review, woo).
Being a light-hearted and at times, highly inappropriate, this is the
perfect game for you if your sense of humour is alike and you want
something to fit in with your busy lifestyle. From being chased by
an over-weight stripper, to Morgan Freeman saying to you in his
taco shop that ‘they say that some farts can be so powerful they can
bend time, you be careful out there’. The lack of seriousness is really
quite refreshing.

Choose your class of super hero (my new kid as a cyborg)

Character modification
Previously in TSOT, there weren’t as many choices when it came
to adjusting the aesthetical aspects of your character, ‘the new kid’,
or more commonly known as ‘douche-bag’. Even though you lack
the ability to speak, and your personality is that of a potato, you
can alter your appearance in many ways in this game. Whether
it be ethnicity, gender, race or superpowers, there’s an option for
everyone. Within the gender section, you can be either male,
female or tri-gender. They claim skin colour choices can implicate
your game-play, e.g. the darker skin you go for, the ‘harder’ the
difficulty. Although it doesn’t actually do anything. This is just
part of the humour South Park’s creators have manufactured, that
replicates the satire of the TV show.

Fart your way through a strippers dance

Unlike TSOT, when it comes to the super-hero aspect of your
character, there are so many customisation options. Your character
sheet in the beginning is sparsely filled out, until you progress
in the game and then it will start to show the stats of your
performance in combat, as well as other facts such as weakness,
arch enemy etc.
There is a long list of classes (Mystic, karate kid, cyborg etc.), that
will affect your playstyle by giving you different powers, but you’re
not limited to the abilities in just your class. Thanks to stat points,
there is a ‘pic ‘n’ mix’ style when it comes to combat. Meaning
you can pick and choose what ones you want. Artefacts you find
around South Park, will also boost certain parts of your skills.
Combat
I’m not the best when it comes to combat and fighting in video
game. TFBW frankly doesn’t require much effort at all when it
comes to controls, therefore perfect for me, someone who’s scared
of her own shadow. You pretty much only have to press a button at
a time, however compared to TSOT it’s a bit more strategic.

gameface magazine

Spontaneous Bootay, a stripper out to crush you with her ass...

15

Legend of Zelda :
Breath of the Wild
Reviews

Being the nineteenth main
instalment of The Legend
of Zelda series, The Breath
of the Wild had a lot to live
up to...

Graphics-5
Storyline-5
Characters-5
Combat-4.5
Ending-3

4.5/5
16

F

or those of you who haven’t been lucky enough to get
your hands on any of The Legend of Zelda games,
you’d be lead to believe that the character Zelda,
is male. I haven’t followed the series throughout
the years, so up until last year I was in your shoes.
Little did I know; the title is actually named after
the Princess of Hyrule, Hyrule being the kingdom at the heart of
most of the games. My only complaint with this is, why isn’t the
character Zelda included more throughout the game (aka make her
a playable character), when she’s such a sassy, powerful individual?
She’d take Link for a ride I tell you that.
As I was essentially a Zelda ‘virgin’ up until Breath of the Wild,
I can safely say I am actually disappointed I didn’t play the other
games as I was growing up. This adventure RPG had me truly
hooked from as soon as Link (the boy/man you are to assume
Zelda is) awoke from his slumber. The lazy bitch in me was
extremely jealous he was able to sleep for 100 years, and not feel
slightly groggy.
Narrative
It became apparent the great amount of effort and thought the
creators had invested into this game. There is an indubitably strong
story line, which has a mixture of game-play, and small amounts
of cut-scenes that help you understand the tale. You awake in

gameface magazine

Reviews
The Shrine of Resurrection, only to find out Hyrule’s beyond
destruction. Ganon is back, the four Champions of Hyrule died
inside the Divine Beasts, and now as Link, with the help of the
Sheikah Slate (like an iPad, but much more impressive) you have to
help save Hyrule from a complete shit-storm.
Although, instead of launching you straight into action, you are
given a teaser of what lies ahead. By easing you into the survival,
combat, and surrounding aspects, it doesn’t leave you confounded,
and as The Great Plateau (where you start off) is at the edge of the
map, you also get a 180-degree view of the road that lies ahead.
After The Great Plateau, there is so much more freedom with
what you can do. What with the main, side and shrine quests, the
world is quite literally your oyster. This game doesn’t come with a
rule book, you can fuck off and enjoy yourself, whether that be by
horseback, shield or paraglider.
Skill Level and Controls
Despite being pretty shit when it comes to the combat elements of
video games in general, I didn’t struggle too much. You shouldn’t
let this from stopping you play the game, if your skills in this
particular area aren’t strong. As you go through Breath of the Wild,
the shrines will help you reinforce your fighting capabilities, and
help you with the controls you’re going to need.

Disappointing End (SPOILER)
Despite enjoying the whole of the game, I had bigger expectations
for the ending. I’ve seen gamers online expressing the same
frustration. As I’m sure you can imagine, you go onto ‘kill’ Ganon
(sadly he can’t be killed, only temporarily sealed), and then you
expect to be able to walk around Hyrule Castle willy nilly to your
heart’s content? Well no. I’m sorry to break it to you all, but you
just get a star by your save slot to say you’ve defeated him, and then
you go back to before when he was STILL in the castle. I have no
words.

Ganon’s inside the castle, and there’s no easy way in. The
lasers are coming from all four of the divine beasts, who
are there to help you save Hyrule.

Since Breath of the Wild came out in 2017,
there has been two DLC packs released, ‘The
Master Trials’ and ‘The Champion’s Ballad’.
They include new modes, supplies, additional
story content and a new dungeon (dungeon is
like the Divine Beasts in the original game).
However, you have to have completed the four
beasts to be able to get access to the DLC, get
moving people!

Visuals
Out of all of the games I’ve ever played, Breath of the Wild’s
graphic and visual elements in particular made me fall in love with
it. In the beginning, you are greeted with an expanse of alluring,
green hills that go on for miles. And this is just the start of it. The
whole map is dedicated to four different varieties of terrain. The
countryside, desert, volcano, and water. All so close together, it
would climatically impossible in the real-world, but in Hyrule this
facet adds to the unique beauty of it all. The graphics are realistic,
yet also artistically beguiling. This is yet another feature, that
benefits in regard to the freedom a game-player is given. Without
this, you wouldn’t be able to scout out all of what Hyrule has to
offer you. To the designers, you’re fucking legends.
(Look out for the Zelda fan-art on pinterest, there’s some beautiful
interpretations!)

gameface magazine

Pray to the statues located around Hyrule, if you have
enough spirit orbs from the shrines, you can increase
your stamina or health allowance.

17

life

The what's,
wh
ys', who's
and how's

Words + Illustration - Hope Bullen

18

gameface magazine

life

T

he world of video gaming was
introduced to me at the pint-sized
age of 4. I used to eagerly watch my
grandad punch in cheats for Tomb
Raider, however if I remember
rightly, cheats were used due to
us being a pretty shit duo back in
the day when it came to Lara. We
swindled our way through to many
destinations, with just a pair of pistols
and a flare to protect us. I’m sure many other early Lara Croft
fans can relate when I say this, locking Winston in the freezer was
always a favourite past-time of mine (not only did he piss me off,
he also comes across as quite the pervert). Crash Bandicoot was,
and still is a favourite. Whether that be the original, Cortex Strikes
Back, Warped, Crash Bash or Twinsanity. Either way, Playstation
one games were mine and my Grandad’s jam.
When I reached the ripe old age of 6, my uncle comes along with
his PS2 and it blew.my.fucking.mind. The graphics, the design, the
way it stood up all by itself. This machine was revolutionary. The
only thing was, that the games I liked the most were probably not
best suited to somebody who was small as I was. Enter Rock Star’s
Grand Theft Auto Vice City and San Andreas, aka my nan’s worst
nightmare for years to come. This game gave me the freedom any
little girl could have wanted. I went shopping with CJ, took him to
a strip club, got him 3 different girlfriends who conveniently lived
on different islands and drove around in fancy ass cars. Forget the
violence, the bad graphics and the swearing (my nan turned down
the volume so I couldn’t hear ‘you motherfucking fools’ or ‘homie
you trying to fuck with me’), I didn’t see or hear any of that. I was
just a girl having the time of her life.
Fast forward to now. VR is real, robots will probably take over the
world one day, and video game characters look just like us. Gone
are the days where Lara Croft’s boobs look like two pyramids stuck
to her chest. The internet has transformed gameplay; one player
games can now be played with people the other side of the world.
The game I play the most (Rocket League) can be played in duel

gameface magazine

“Why should it

matter if someone is
born with a tunnel
of love or a pock
et
rock
et ?”
mode (1 vs 1), doubles (2 vs 2), standard (3 vs 3) or chaos (4 vs 4,
it has other game modes also). Thus meaning I’m always playing
with at least one other person over the web. Once I got invited to a
party with two other guys who had their headsets on, but I didn’t
put mine on. Simply because I feel that I could have got abuse for
being a girl gamer, or disregarded as a gamer at all because of my
gender. It shouldn’t matter, but gender stereotypes make these
things matter.
I haven’t even been emotionally abused online for being a gamer,
but because video gamers are standardised as being male, I
sometimes feel as though I don’t ‘fit in’. Sadly, I’m most likely not
the only person to feel this way. If we look back to the Gamergate
‘movement’, misogyny took over. People that supported it
(known as ‘gaters’), were positive that it was solely for the ethics
of journalism. However, it was noticed that many used it as a
platform to shoot down video game developer Zoe Quinn and
ruin the career she worked so hard for. It is believed this started
happening because a rumour circulated that she cheated on her
then boyfriend, Eron Gjoni, with five different guys, a rumour
he started on his blog. He must have been pretty disgruntled, as
this ‘post’ went on for 10,000 fucking words (did he really have
nothing better to be doing?) Not only did he accuse Quinn of

19

life
cheating, but of getting into a relationship
with a journalist within the gaming sector,
who then would write nice things about
her games. Talk about a jealous thunder
cunt (if anything such as a thunder cunt
did exist, I’m sure his storm of rage and
covetousness would equate to that). Gaters
also didn’t like the idea of people talking
about how women should have a more
respected place in gaming, both in games
and as gamers. Conveniently, Quinn is also
a prominent voice in the gaming world
for equality, for genders and minority
groups (aka not white and male members
of society).

20

games that have this element involved, and
it definitely wouldn’t stop me from playing
something I thoroughly enjoyed. But that
doesn’t mean developers shouldn’t grow
up, and realise that the world of gaming
is so much more than tits and bare bum
cheeks. They should look at the overall
picture, aka don’t just design your games
to suit horny, white males. If I could write
an open letter to the professionals that
overlook women as part of their market,
I’m sure if the sentence ‘you’re losing
money’ was presented to them, they’d
soon do something about it.Why should it
matter if someone is born with a tunnel of
love or a pocket rocket?
For all the people reading this, that either
is a girl gamer, knows someone who is,
or simply wants to be one. You fucking
go girl/boyfriend (#Equality). Don’t let
anything or anybody try to stop you, as this
could lead to a life time of happiness. If I
didn’t start playing video games as a fouryear-old kid, my life wouldn’t be as I know
it today (I’d probably get a lot more done
though). I’d like to take this opportunity
to thank my grandad for introducing me
to pretty much all my hobbies as a kid
(apart from shopping which came from my
nan and aunty, I’d like to say it’s your fault
I spend too much on clothes) that have
followed me into adulthood. You the best x

Still besties, and both love a good
ol’ splash of pink. Not much of a tan
differnce either, ha.

stand toge
s
u
t
t
In 2015,
48% of gamers were
women. Women gamers
should be able to speak up
and be heard. Use the hashtag
‘#WomenGamersUnite’ to
potentially get featured on
our Insta.

r
he

Correct me if I’m wrong, but saying that
only boys/men game is getting a bit old hat
now. Parts of the gaming industry, have
manifested this notion by objectifying
or disregarding us as a gender at all. By
putting men in clothes and women in,
well nothing, they thought they could
deter us. In 2014, PC Gamer reported
that 50.2% of the gaming population were
actually women. To think of females as
the minority in this day and age, would
be naïve. I don’t agree that women should
be scantily clad, whilst a guy stands there
in his armour, without even a small hint
of penis (not that I’d like to see a hint of
penis, but you know, equality doesn’t hurt
anybody). On the other hand, I’ve played

Grandad and I saying ‘fuck you’ to
gender norms (you can tell he felt
pretty in this, just look at that smile)

Le

This aspect most likely antagonised the
poor souls even further, leading them
to send threatening hate mail. Quinn’s
address, email, phone number etc. also
got leaked, meaning she had to move out
of her home as she feared for her safety.
Even though it is assumed that this is what
started off Gamergate, there are many
other cases of women getting harassed.
What I see, is a group of ‘men’ getting riled
up because a woman is doing better than
them, despite them supposedly being the
lead demographic for videogames. It pisses
me off that a woman’s sex life, whether
the rumours are lies or the truth, can
conceivably ruin their life, when it 100%
shouldn’t do. If a guy in the limelight slept
with a few girls, the whole male gaming
community would climb to their rooftops
and shout ‘fuck her right in the pussy’ in
unison.

gameface magazine

N

life

o matter how long
you’ve been a fan of
Nintendo’s Mario,
you can confidently
say you know how
the story ends,
right? Mario smashes, fires, and ices
his way through some of the craziest
shit you’ve probably seen, to rescue his
one true love, Peach. BARF.
In the latest Mario game (released
onto Nintendo Switch in 2017), Super
Mario Odyssey, you find yourself
waving your hat through cities,
deserts and desserts attempting to
save Peach from her impending doom
(aka marriage to Bowser, that bogey
coloured, wank-stain you can’t seem to
get rid of).
You get to the church on the moon,
if that isn’t too over the top for you,
Bowser has collected different items
for the wedding from each world in
Odyssey and all the guests are people
he’s stolen from…WTF, talk about over
the top guys. After the big fight scene,
Mario saves Peach and it’s happily ever
after. Or not. As Mario and Bowser are
assaulting her with flowers, vowing to
win her love, she shouts 'enough' (in
a kind of ‘fuck off ’ way) friend zones
them both, and goes on an all gals
holiday with her fabulous, floating
tiara friend. Talk about girl power, aye?
Moral of the story, even if you play the
damsel in distress in every relationship
you’ve had and wear the same outfits
all the time. You can turn this around.
Peach did, and now you can find
her basking on roof tops in the sun,
drinking sex on the beach and has
a different outfit for every place she
visits. What bad-ass bitch.

Peach is
also known
as Princess peach
toadstool. She was
first seen in super
mario bros in 1985,
and before 2016 had
appeared 61 times
since then.
gameface magazine

formerly
known as
the 'damsel in
distress' character,
although in 2005 got
her very own game. In
super princess peach
roles are reversed,
and mario needs
saving .

SHe didn't
move until 1988,
they believed it
would have been too
complex. But in 2007,
was in forbes' 'most
wealthy fictional' list.
23 and a billionaire?
Yes please!

21

life

The mean, weirdly
nice and just plain
fucking weird
Send in your gaming
messages to gameface@
editorial.co.uk with a
chance to get featured
in the next issue!

“Eat a
dick”

o

“Are you an
intellectual that
coexists in an
environment
surrounded by
morphing humming
birds called

“Getting “will
you marry me?”
while playing
online pool is
always fun.”

“You’re not a
girl, you’re clearl
y
an old man pretending
to be a girl. Girls
aren’t good at games, if
you’re a girl you’re
cheating.”
gameface
gamefacemagazine
magazine

life

gameface magazine

23

life

But instead of standing here, let’s do something
about it. Runaway is ‘an independent game
developer and publisher’ based across the pond
in New Zealand. Their games are based on
nature and tend to be vibrant, as well as relaxing

24

?

Currently, around 42% of women populate
the gaming community (hip fucking hooray,
females have finally started to be recognised
as gamers), although only 22% of the gaming
industry personnel are women according to
Runaway. Hey, there could be many reasons
for this right? You can’t force women to work
in a sector that they don’t want to work in after
all. Maybe they don’t have enough information
about it to want to work in that environment,
or perhaps they’re put off by the male to female
ratio.

t
a rt
st

The g
am
i

try; wh
er
e

o

ng

us
d
in

to play.
In the run up to International Women’s
Day, they started a campaign to get as
many people as possible using the hashtag
#GirlsBehindTheGames. This was so that
women in the gaming industry could be
celebrated, and show that they are out there,
even if they don’t normally get recognition.
Perchance even get other women inspired.
I spoke to recruiter Tara Coote, who specialises
within virtual reality, augmented reality, AI
unity and robotics development. As well as
David Smith, the founder of Women in Games
and CEO of Interactive, who recruit women and
minorities, to get their insight as to how you can
get into the gaming industry, no matter what
gender, race or age you are.

aving a varied
background in
sales, it looks like
Tara has found her
feet in recruiting. Although,
being a recruiter for gaming
isn’t quite as black and white as
it may seem. An eager gamer
herself, she’s always on top of
the latest tech news, and has
ventured into the world of
coding and programming in her
spare time (I know right, she
makes us procrastinators look
like right slobs). When it comes
to her passion and excitement
for the industry, the sky really is
the limit.
When it comes to placing
women in the industry however,
Tara finds they’re few and far
between. Within the last year
that she’s been a recruiter in
this sector, she’s only placed
five women. Most of them being
either front end positions i.e.
technical artists, or junior unity
developer positions. I asked
why she thought this might
be and her reply was, “I think
women need to be recognised
for their coding skills, not just
their artistic or producer skills.
I do think job specs should be
written slightly different as well”.

gameface magazine

What Tara meant by this, is that
when companies are looking for
people to join their workforce,
they tend to masculinise their
pronouns. If I went to apply
for a job, a big turn off for me
would be ‘he should have this,
he should be able to do this’ etc.
Hello people, we’re in the 21st
century here?! And there’s this
thing called plurality, use it.

"I think women
need to be
recognised for their
coding"

On the brighter side, it is so
refreshing seeing recruiters
actually want the best for their
candidates. Tara explains “And
when I place these developers,
they are normally really excited
and thankful for getting them
a chance to work at such an
exciting company. So I am
lucky in that way.” It makes me
realise I shouldn’t be tarring
everybody with the profession
with the same brush. Keep going
Tara, you’re paving the way.

Tara’s top
tips for
employment

1sts in relevant degrees e.g.
AI robotics development or
game development rarely
stand out to companies.
You need to have set yourself
up asa LTD company and
apply for contract work. So
you can say that you have
worked commercially on
games, and have examples of
coding and actual games on
your CV.
Freelance oppurtunities are
out there. Companies look
for help on finishing games,
and if you’re good you could
get a permanent role.

Founder of Women in
Games WIGJ & BAME
Games | Organiser of
6 European Women
in Games Conferences
| CEO of Interactive,
Recruiting Women and
Minorities in Games

M

eet David,
the founder
of Women in
Games. A not
for profit organisation for
women in video, mobile, online
games & eSports. Despite not
being female himself, David
understands that for a workplace
to thrive, it needs to be diverse.
Thus meaning, different
nationalities and genders should
be a part of the team.
With decades of experience
in hiring, David started WIGJ
because he wants to help women
and minorities into gaming

“women were
finding it difficult
to get jobs and
progress because of
their gender”
industry professions. (This
being said, it’s still extremely
important that men apply for
gaming roles.) “I had worked
finding people jobs in the games
industry for 12 years, before I
realized that some women were
finding it difficult to get jobs
and progress because of their
gender”, he claims. As no one
seemed to be doing anything
about it in the UK, and the
percentage of women in the
industry was set pretty low (6%
according to statistics in 2009,

v id S m
a
D

h
it

a

life

roundabout when WIGJ was
born), David pulled his finger
out and started pathing the
way for women who couldn’t
get themselves a job because of
the gender they were born as
(fucked up don’t you think?)
As for how to get into the
industry, David has pretty
much the same advice as Tara.
Experience, experience, with a
sprinkle of experience. Even if
you’re making your own game
on the side of the job you’re
currently in, it all adds to the
pile. Although, he also suggests
being as qualified as possible.
And finally, social media is
your BFF. By building your
industry contacts online, this
could then lead to collaborations
and potential jobs for the
future. Look out for the WIGJ
network on LinkedIn, Facebook
and Twitter. If you need any
inspo, also check out the WIGJ
ambassadors who come from all
corners of the gaming trade.
Live in the UK? Have a keen
interest in gaming? The
European Women in Games
conference is taking place on
the 11-12th of September at the
City university in London. Their
headline sponsor is Facebook
and they’re all extremely
pumped to see you all there. To
all the students out there, there
is also a limited amount of FREE
tickets going spare. Keep your
peepers open!

25

art

26

gameface magazine

Art

Illustration Alex Vincent

"A sword wields no
strength unless the
hand that holds it has
courage"

gameface magazine

27

art

Alex Vincent

E

nter Alex. A 24-year-old illustrator
undergrad who kicks ass at drawing.
When he’s not putting pen to paper,
he’s training hard at the gym or
making good use of Southampton’s
extensive night life. And before uni
he used to teach fitness classes, such
as boxercise and circuit training.
No pot noodles for this guy.

Alex isn’t at university to get pissed every night on half a bottle
of Tesco’s finest potato juice. He remembers drawing even
before going to primary school, and is now working towards
a Bachelor Honours in illustration in Southampton. “As for
why I enjoy it, I just find it to be a relaxing distraction, when
it goes well anyway!”. And when it comes to what he enjoys
drawing, it’s animals vs mythological creatures, which we can
see he does so skilfully. I admire artists like Alex so much. One
because I would never have the patience to keep at a painting
for too long without wanting to throw it out the window.
Two, because I would never be able to produce something so
unequivocally flawless.

Top | Digital painting on the mythological creature
Manticore.
Bottom | Digital painting of Jason Vorhees from the
friday the 13th movies.
Right | digital painting showing an alien invasion.

28

As I’m sure you can imagine, I was delighted when he agreed to
create a unique piece for Gameface. Why Link and not Zelda I
hear you ask; after all this is a female gaming magazine? Well,
as an avid Pinterest trawler (I get lost amongst the fan art, home
décor and hair goals) I often wade my way through hundreds
of different interpretations of Link. Each and every one of them
is beautiful in their own distinctive ways. Alex’s Link included.
Whereas, perhaps Zelda doesn’t get drawn quite as much due
to her lack of appearances in the games. Maybe Zelda can be
for a future issue, eh? Tag #ZeldaAppreciationIssue with your
artwork for a chance to be featured in our next issue!

gameface magazine

Art

“Drawing’s
something
i’ve always done.
i’m not exactly sure
when i started or why,
but i’ve been doing it
since before i was even
in reception, so it’s
kind of ingrained
in me.”
gameface magazine

29

art

30

Lara Croft

gameface magazine

Art

With
‘The
Shadow of
the Tomb Raider’
due to be launched on
September 14th 2018,
actress and makeup artist
Sophie Moore did
her thang.

Name: Sophie Jennifer Moore
Age: 21
Occupation: Freelance MUA & actor
Fave video games: “Fave game is actually an
old PC spy game called ‘No one lives forever’, which
is set in the 60s. Obv I’ll always love game series like
Tomb Raider, Uncharted, I’m a big fan of 3rd person
action/adventure...I’ve played GTA V through about 9
times! Really like the way some games have a butterfly
affect, where you can play them over and over again
and get different results (e.g. Heavy Rain, Until Dawn).”
Video game dislikes: “I’m not a big online multiplayer kinda gal. I’d always choose a solo campaign
or story mode over listening to kids with headsets.”

Y

ou may have noticed that Lara has taken the
spotlight a little bit in this issue. She’s such a
powerful, independent women who’s been in
my life since I was small, so I thought why the
fuck not!

Sophie Jennifer moore has always experimented
with makeup, but only in the past couple of years she has created
a business from it. Being a passion of hers, it doesn’t really feel like
work at all. Alongside being an actress, they make the perfect pair.
If you look at her instagram, you’ll see why I got her to do a Tomb
Raider look for me. This year, she entered the the NYX Face
Awards with ‘annihilation’. A mesmerising piece that included
3D flowers, extreme black contour and sparkles. Something Soph
describes as ‘flower power, but with a dark twist’. Every halloween
she does a different look for each day of October, and her skills
with SFX shine through
Sophie based her Lara on the ‘The Rise of the Tomb Raider’,
creating this makeup was relatively simple compared to past looks.
All that was needed was brown paint for the dirt, fake blood (pretty
self explanatory), some bronzer (for dose cheekbones) and fake
lashes (because lashes). Something easily replicated at home, or a
cheeky last minute ‘scary’ halloween idea. The world is your oyster.

Customise
your gaming
to suit you - if
only I had a
spare £69.99
about...

te

TECH
(Nerding out and proud)

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he

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ea
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£9 ww
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gameface magazine

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Out

Lazer keyboard
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Menkind

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Game

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33

life

s
c
b
U
rib
S

e

Want access to Gameface as
soon as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s out? Look no further my
lovelies. Get an annual subscription for
ÂŁ39.99, meaning you get two print AND digital
copies for free! Along with your magazine print
and digital subscription, you will also be able
to get 50% off at our Etsy shop (see page
35 for info on Etsy shop). Much love
gamers - get subscribing! x

34

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p

Lover of
illustrations,
quotes and
prints?

art

pr

We’re here to help. Our Etsy
is the one stop shop for all your
artsy desires. Prices can range from as
little as £5 (for our smallest sized prints) to
£100 (larger prints). Why are our prints so
fantabulous, I hear you ask? They can be 100%
custom made especially for you fuckers.There’s
nothing too crazy, weird or even normal that
we’re not willing to draw for you, even if it’s not
to do with gaming.
For more info, search for us on Etsy under
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ints

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35

HOW TO

You know when
you just want to have some
down time playing your favourite
video game, and then you remember
that that the internet is full of cunts? Well
the most probable reason for them being
that way is either they have severe issues and
just want to see the world burn, or are inept in
playing said game so take it out on everybody
else. Enter the salty gamer (e.g. somebody who
is bitter as fuck because they don’t win or
knows that they are substandard). If you
decide you no longer want to be easy to
get along with online, here’s a few
tips on how to be that dick.